Inez Hollm looks at the last quilt she created, which was returned to her by Mike and Barbara Downs. PETER CIHELKA/THE FREE LANCE-STAR

Lt. Col. Mike Downs (right) shares a laugh with Ralph (second from right) and Inez Hollm during the Hollm's 60th wedding anniversary celebration at the Lake of the Woods Clubhouse on Thursday. Downs and his wife, Barbara, got the quilt in an auction, then returned it. PETER CIHELKA/THE FREE LANCE-STAR

Husband gives wife gift of a the last quilt she'll make

By CATHY DYSON

Date published: 8/11/2008

By CATHY DYSON

The gift brought a smile and a tear to almost every person gathered to celebrate the love between Ralph and Inez Hollm.

The two have been married 60 years. They are kind, generous people who quietly go out of their way to help others, their four children said.

Ralph is a retired engineer, known for his knowledge of airplane instruments. He and Inez traveled across the globe until they settled in Lake of the Woods in the late 1980s.

She joined the Closet Quilters and focused her artistic energy on needle and thread. Over the years, she made about a dozen quilts--each stitched by hand--and gave most of them away.

Two years ago, she started what would become her last creation. She has Parkinson's disease, and as she worked on the 12 squares of appliqued flowers and hearts, her hands shook so badly, she had put it aside.

When her neighbor, Pat Cope, saw the unfinished canvas, she had an idea. What if she pieced the squares together, then the two donated the quilt to a favorite charity? The women picked the Lake of the Woods Volunteer Rescue Company as their beneficiary.

Tickets started selling in February, months before the quilt was to be awarded in July. Barbara Downs, wife of rescue captain Mike Downs, saw the quilt on display and raved over its detail.

"That's a really beautiful quilt, I think I'll buy the winning ticket," she said.

Turns out, she wasn't joking. She won the quilt, which raised $1,700 for the department. She was amazed that it perfectly matched the color scheme in the bedroom she and Mike were redecorating.

But as nice as the quilt looked in their Lake of the Woods home, it didn't stay long.

The day after the raffle, Ralph called Mike. He asked if he could buy back the quilt his wife made--he even offered $1,000. As he tried to explain why he wanted it, he broke down.

He wrote a note to the rescue captain the next day. He said his wife's medical condition kept her from stitching, and it would mean a lot to him if her last, and best, quilt could stay in the family.

There was no question what Mike and Barbara, who celebrated their fourth anniversary on the Fourth of July, would do.

Date published: 8/11/2008

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